UT Tyler golf team in 2nd place at ASC tourney

KERRVILLE - UT Tyler is in second place 12 shots back of the lead at the American Southwest Conference Golf Tournament.

The teams played 36 holes on Tuesday at Comanche Trace.

George Toone, a junior from Edenbridge, England, is leading the Patriots after shooting 3-under-par, which has him tied for second with 18 holes to play.

The Patriots are at 5-under as a team after carding a 571 (292-279), while The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor leads the eight-team field at 17-under with a team total of 559 (276-283) 559.

The tournament is scheduled to resume at 8 a.m. Wednesday with a shotgun start for the final round of the 54-hole event.

Toone shot a 141 (74-67) and is tied with two players, while UMHB’s Mats Heien leads the field after carding a 133 (64-69) to establish an eight-shot advantage.

UT Tyler’s Sam Hill, a junior from Orlando, Florida, is sixth overall at 143 (69-74), followed by teammates Brandon Rougeau, a senior from Cedar Park and a transfer from Tyler Junior College (7th, 75-69-144), Cody Gilbert, a senior from Whitehouse (8th, 74-71-145) and Trystan Perkins, a freshman from Guernsey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom, (T13th, 76-72-148).

“I really liked how we bounced back and stayed patient all day,” UT Tyler coach Michael McMunn said. “We may have been too patient at times in the first round. We’re not looking at a particular number or score to make a comeback, we are going out tomorrow with the focus to play our best golf. If we come back, great. UMHB played great golf today and for that have a good lead.”

Toone shot his 67 with seven birdies, including stringing together four in a row on the back-nine with two on par-4s, one par-3 and one par-5. His opening round consisted of only one birdie, but with 13 pars to put himself into contention.

The Cru and Patriots are followed by Concordia-Texas (292-296-588), Hardin-Simmons (306-298-604), LeTourneau (300-306–606), UT Dallas (312-297-609), Howard Payne (317-305-622) and Louisiana College (376-365-741).

UT Tyler has been the ASC Championship runner-up the past four years and will look to chip away at UMHB’s lead and win their third ASC title and first since 2012.

The winner of the tournament is the American Southwest Conference champion and receives the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Men’s Golf Tournament. The national tournament will be played from May 16 to 19 at Mission Inn in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida.